As Kayla took a bite into the instant noodles, savoring its deliciousness, her hand phone rang. She took the phone and stared at the unknown number, and she slurped in the noodle hanging from her mouth. Who could it be?
“Hello?” she said, swallowing the spicy noodle.
“Hello, Kayla,” she froze as her fork dropped to the floor with a clang. Jesse McCartney!
“Err, yes,” she said, gulping. Why is he calling me?
“Come down now!” Jesse commanded.
“What?” she said, getting off the chair to pick up the fork from the ground; Rachel was out with her fiancée so she was alone at home.
“Can’t you understand simple English?” Jesse asked, as she played with the noodles, suddenly not feeling hungry.
“I do,” she replied.
“So, I don’t need to say twice,” he said.
“Where are you?” she asked him.
“In front of your apartment!” he said.
“Why?” she asked.
“Stop asking questions and get down now!” he ordered.
“I’m off duty. Sir,” Kayla said, saying ‘sir’ as an afterthought.
“If you don’t get down now, I will fire you!” Jesse threatened as Kayla stood up in surprise.
“What?” she asked.
“I could fire you for what you did, but I’m giving you a chance,” Jesse said.
“You can’t do this to me,” she said, hoping she sounded firm.
“Believe me; I can,” he said, “So are you coming down or not?”
Within ten minutes, Kayla had changed her clothes, and walked towards Jesse’s car. Is it his motto to torture people? She thought huffily to herself.
“Can’t he just leave me at peace?” she said to herself, as she opened the door and went in with a sour face. Jesse drove off in silence.
“Where are we going?” Kayla said, breaking the chilly silence.
“I need to get some things,” Jesse said, “And it’s hard to get parking at this time, so you’ll get out and get it for me.”
“What kinds of things?” Kayla asked, looking at him.
“My stuff,” he said simply.
“Don’t you have servants for that?” she asked him suspiciously.
“They’ve all gone home,” he replied.
“I’ve gone home too!” Kayla said.
“Yeah, but Benny said it was fine to get you to help me, since you’re an intern at his office,” Jesse said, grinning cruelly, “and if you want to keep this job, you might just learn to respect the person who’s giving your paycheck.”
Kayla pursed her mouth in silence. She needed this job; as she can’t go back home jobless. She was not rich like him, to take life lightly.
“Fine,” she said in resignation. Jesse smiled slightly as he stole a glance at her. She was silently looking out the window. She deserved what she’s getting now, he reasoned to himself. He could actually get someone else to get his errands done, but he felt that Kayla should do it because she had the nerve to call him arrogant and rude.
His first stop was at Jodie’s Laundromat, where he had sent his tuxedos to wash for the upcoming movie premiere. He noticed there were car-park spots around, but he stopped his car right in front of the shop, beside another car parked there and looked at Kayla, who looked at him, puzzled.
“You can park your car there,” she suggested, pointing ahead.
“Go and get my tux!” Jesse instructed, ignoring her, “Take this receipt and give it to them and they will pass my tux to you. And then hang it behind my seat. Make sure you don’t crumple it – it costs more than your salary.”
“I will try and remember that,” Kayla said as she got out of the car and walked into the posh Laundromat. I didn’t know laundry shops could look so magnificent, she thought to herself as she stood at the counter and gave the guy there the receipt that Jesse gave her.
“Thank you,” she said as the guy gave her the tuxedo which was covered with plastic. She carried it out and looked around as she couldn’t find Jesse’s car. Where did he go? She asked herself, looking around. Suddenly her phone rang, and she answered it vaguely, still looking out for Jesse, “Hello.”
“Walk over to the shoe shop on the opposite of the road!” Jesse said into the receiver as Kayla sighed angrily, “I’m waiting there and remember – don’t crumple my tux!”
“Yeah like that is the most important thing in your life!” Kayla snapped after Jesse hung up on her. She took a deep breath and tried crossing the busy road. It took her almost twenty minutes to get across; no one seemed to give way to her.
“You’re late,” Jesse said, as she opened the door behind him.
“The traffic’s heavy,” she said, breathlessly, as she hung the tux on the seat behind him.
“I don’t like excuses,” Jesse said, as Kayla stared at him angrily. She closed the door with a slam as he stared at her, and rolled down the window, “Now, I’ve ordered a new shoes in that shop, and I want you to go and get it. Here’s the receipt.”
“Why do we have to do this tonight?” Kayla whined, “Can’t I do it tomorrow?”
“I have to get everything ready for the premiere this Saturday,” Jesse said, looking at her, “You could get it for me, or you can just kiss your job goodbye.”
Kayla stared at him, and angrily took the receipt that he held out as he leered at her. This seems like fun, Jesse thought to himself, and said, “Don’t be late! I hate people who are late!”
I hate bossy people like you too, Kayla thought to herself, as she turned and walked into the shoe shop. The people in there looked at her weirdly, as if she doesn’t belong there. She looked down at what she wore; a knee length torn jeans and a black hooded sweater over a green t-shirt. It was something she pulled on urgently when Jesse called her.
“May I help you?” a tall, slim woman came over to Kayla, looking down at her like she was unwelcome. Kayla flashed a bright smile, trying to look as if she didn’t care that the woman looked at her like that.
“Hello, I’m here to pick up a shoe,” Kayla said as politely as possible.
“Who is it for?” the woman asked, looking at the receipt that Kayla held out to her.
“Oh, Jesse McCartney,” the woman said impressed, and then she looked at Kayla again, “Are you his servant?”
“No,” Kayla said indignantly, “I’m working for his manager.”
“Really, I wouldn’t have guessed,” the woman said, meanly, “You don’t dress like any manager I’ve seen.”
“Oh yeah,” Kayla said, “And you don’t seem to behave professionally. Do you want me to go and get Mr. McCartney here? I’m sure he wouldn’t like you to belittle his assistant manager.”
“I’m sorry,” the woman said, bowing slightly, “I’ll get you the shoes immediately.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Kayla said, smiling slightly. This woman doesn’t need to know how horrible her boss is. That knowledge is for only for her to know. The woman, named Miranda, hurried and got the shoes and packed it in a paper bag for Kayla, smiling politely to her.
“Thank you, Miss,” Miranda said, as Kayla started to leave, “Err… would you mind saying hi to Mr. McCartney, ask him whether he remembered me the last time he came.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Kayla said, as she tossed her head and turned to leave. As she entered the car, smiling, Jesse stared at her weirdly. Why is she smiling, he thought to himself, is she enjoying running errands for me? She is supposed to suffer!
“Why are you smiling?” he asked her as she stopped smiling and stared at him.
“I’m not smiling,” she said quickly.
“You were,” he said, “Just as you got in the car. Who did you see in there?”
“Oh, no one,” Kayla replied smiling again, “By the way, do you know anyone named Miranda?”
“Miranda,” Jesse asked her, “No, who is that?”
“The woman in the shop,” Kayla replied, “She told me to tell you something about whether you remembered her or not from the last time you came, and she said hi.”
“Eww,” Jesse said, turning the car into the traffic, “Why would she think I’d remember her? Is she important? I think not, so I definitely can’t remember her.”
“Is that how you judge people, sir?” Kayla asked turning to look at him. She was no longer afraid of him, “If they’re important then you’d know them, but if they’re insignificant then you toss them aside like trash?”
“Kayla, people like me are important,” Jesse said as-a-matter-of-factly, “I do not associate with people who give no benefit to me.”
“Don’t you have any friends?” Kayla asked him.
“I don’t believe in having friends,” he replied in a steely tone, “I trust no one, and I don’t expect anyone to trust me.”
“But then you’d be so lonely,” Kayla said, pitying him. No wonder he was so bitter; he must be lonely with no real friends.
“Lonely is an over-statement,” Jesse said, looking at her, “I am not lonely. I have all the money in the world, and I can have anyone I want in the world when I’m bored.”
“But how will you find true happiness?” Kayla said, “If you throw money for people to be with you, how will you be happy when they only love your money and not you?”
“Careful, Kayla,” Jesse said softly, “You’re stepping on dangerous waters. You are not in any liberty to question me on that.”
“I’m sorry,” Kayla said, keeping silent.
“I think it’s enough for tonight,” Jesse said, as he drove towards her apartment, “Let me send you home.”
They drove in silence; Kayla not ready to ask any more questions for fear of being snapped at, and Jesse wondering if there was any sense in what Kayla told him. No, I will not listen to her; he thought stonily to himself, what does she know? She’s just a small town girl.
As Kayla got off Jesse’s car, she turned to look at him, but he drove off without a backwards glance. She felt that she may have overstepped the boundary, but there was no going back in what she said. She hoped there were no repercussions from tonight.